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Ingredient file // Vitamin or mineral

Manganese Proteinate

A trace mineral supplement with modest evidence

Manganese proteinate is manganese bound to fragments of hydrolyzed protein and sold as a powdered feed mineral. It supplies a nutrient dogs need in tiny amounts, but claims that this form dramatically improves absorption or repairs joints run ahead of dog evidence.

What it is
A powdered manganese supplement made by binding the mineral to amino acids and small protein fragments.
Made from
Manganese salt and hydrolyzed protein
Main job
Supplies dietary manganese
Typical amount
Trace amounts; one dog trial added 10 mg manganese per kg
Watch for
Accidental overdose of separate mineral or joint supplements
Not the same as
Manganese sulfate

Our read // In our catalog

In 1 of every 5 foods we track

Share of foods that list it

20%

450 of the 2,250 foods we track, from 34 brands. 372 dry dog food, 52 wet dog food, 16 frozen dog food.

Each square is 1% of the catalog

Where it sits on the label

Median position 36. In the top five of 0 foods, so it is usually a minor ingredient.

Top five List position, heaviest first

Above the salt

5%

Usually listed after the salt, which caps it at roughly 1% of the recipe in 95% of foods.

Price per lb

Foods with it $3.44
All foods $3.24

Median of the cheapest bag price across 313 priced foods, 6% above the catalog. The price is the food's, not the ingredient's.

Who leans on it

16%

of the foods that list it are from Wellness. 34 brands use it in total.

What it is

How it is made

Feed additive makers produce manganese proteinate to give formulators a measured source of manganese. It is a purpose-made supplement, not a leftover from meat or protein processing.4,7

  1. 01 // Source Protein and manganese A protein source and a soluble manganese salt provide the parts for the feed additive.
  2. 02 // Process Protein broken down Partial hydrolysis turns the protein into a mixture of amino acids and short peptides.
  3. 03 // Process Mineral bound The manganese salt reacts with that mixture, binding mineral to some of the protein fragments.
  4. 04 // Output Proteinate powder The finished powdered supplement is measured into a mineral premix before it enters the dog food recipe.

What is in it

Composition, dry matter

15.8

% manganese

One commercial powder contains this much manganese on a dry matter basis. Its protein fragments are carriers, not a meaningful protein serving for dogs.

Manganese 157,895 mg/kg3
Crude protein 35%3
Lysine 1.7%3

These figures describe one commercial powder, not every manganese proteinate. The protein source, hydrolysis method and mineral binding process differ between products, so the name alone does not specify a fixed composition.3,4,7

Why it is in the bag

What the manufacturer gets

  1. 01

    Meets a mineral target

    Manganese is an essential nutrient with a minimum in the dog food nutrient profiles. A measured supplement lets a formulator add it when the other ingredients do not supply enough.2,9

  2. 02

    Fits a mineral premix

    The powdered additive is supplied for feed manufacture. Adding a measured trace mineral through a premix scales more easily than relying on the variable manganese content of bulk ingredients.3,7

  3. 03

    Offers another mineral form

    Manufacturers use proteinates in place of some inorganic manganese, hoping the bound form is used more efficiently. The direct dog comparison found no difference in serum or liver manganese.1,4

How much A 24-week dog comparison added 10 mg of manganese per kg of food as proteinate or sulfate.1

Our read // The claims

What the evidence supports

Strong: controlled studies in dogs agree. Some: small or mixed dog data. Thin: mechanism or lab work only. None: nothing, or the evidence points the other way.

  1. Brands say

    It adds manganese dogs need

    Evidence

    1. Strong
    2. Some
    3. Thin
    4. None

    A listed commercial proteinate contains 157,895 mg manganese per kg of dry powder, so it plainly adds manganese. AAFCO sets an adult food minimum of 5 mg per kg dry matter; the ingredient name does not reveal the finished food's total.2,3

  2. Brands say

    Proteinates absorb far better than manganese sulfate

    Outruns the evidence

    Evidence

    1. Strong
    2. Some
    3. Thin
    4. None

    In a 20-dog comparison, hair manganese was 12.6 versus 9.7 micrograms per gram, a weak statistical trend. Serum and liver manganese did not differ. A broiler trial favors proteinate, but that cannot prove a large advantage in dogs.1,5

  3. Brands say

    Manganese proteinate boosts antioxidant protection in dogs

    Outruns the evidence

    Evidence

    1. Strong
    2. Some
    3. Thin
    4. None

    Manganese is used by an antioxidant enzyme, and a 42-day broiler trial measured improved oxidative stress indicators with proteinate. The dog proteinate comparison measured mineral status, not antioxidant protection or a health outcome.1,5,6

  4. Brands say

    Manganese proteinate rebuilds sore joints

    Outruns the evidence

    Evidence

    1. Strong
    2. Some
    3. Thin
    4. None

    Manganese helps enzymes make normal cartilage components. That mechanism does not show treatment of arthritis: the 20-dog proteinate comparison measured mineral status, not pain, movement or cartilage repair.1,6,8

Straight answers

What owners ask

  1. Q01

    Is it just filler?

    No

    It supplies manganese, an essential nutrient with a minimum in the dog food profiles. The protein in the compound carries the mineral; at the small amounts used for mineral supplementation, it is not a meaningful protein source.1,2,3

  2. Q02

    Is it better than manganese sulfate?

    Unclear in dogs

    The direct dog comparison found a modest hair manganese trend but no serum or liver difference. Both forms supplied manganese. The label does not show that proteinate gives a healthy dog a practical advantage.1

  3. Q03

    Should I add more manganese?

    No, by default

    An ingredient line cannot tell you the food's total manganese content. Check that the food is complete and balanced for your dog's life stage; adding a separate mineral or joint supplement without a specific reason risks excess.6,9

Who uses it

Brands, best sellers and the company it keeps

Top brands, by foods that list it

  1. Wellness 71
  2. Stella & Chewy's 64
  3. Nulo 63
  4. Diamond 27
  5. Earthborn Holistic 25
  6. Bil-Jac 21
  7. Verus 17
  8. Taste of the Wild 16
  9. Annamaet 15
  10. Holistic Select 14

Plus 24 more brands.

Amazon best sellers that list it

  1. #10 Diamond Naturals Skin & Coat Formula All Life Stages Salmon & Potato Formula Dry Dog Food
  2. #17 Taste of the Wild High Prairie Canine Recipe with Roasted Bison & Roasted Venison Dry Dog Food
  3. #40 Stella & Chewy’s Marie’s Magical Dinner Dust Grass-Fed Beef Recipe Freeze-Dried Raw Dog Food Topper
  4. #54 Wellness Complete Health Deboned Chicken & Oatmeal Dry Dog Food
  5. #60 Purina Pro Plan Small Breed Beef And Rice Dry Dog Food
  6. #68 Wellness Complete Health Small Breed Turkey & Oatmeal Dry Dog Food
  7. #73 Diamond Naturals Large Breed Puppy Lamb & Rice Formula Dry Dog Food
  8. #86 Taste of the Wild Ancient Prairie Canine Recipe with Roasted Bison & Roasted Venison Dry Dog Food

Rank on Amazon's dog food best seller list, checked October 2026.

Usually listed with, share of the foods that list it

  1. Flaxseed 50%
  2. Chicken Fat 45%
  3. Chicken Meal 35%
  4. Peas 34%
  5. Chicken 27%
  6. Lentils 25%
  7. Oatmeal 23%
  8. Natural Flavor 23%
  9. Turkey Meal 22%
  10. Dried Plain Beet Pulp 21%
  11. Brown Rice 20%
  12. Chickpeas 19%

Our read // On the bag

Read it as a small mineral addition

Near the other mineral names, manganese proteinate tells you how the maker added some manganese. It does not tell you the finished food's total manganese or prove better joints. Check the nutritional adequacy statement for your dog's life stage, and do not add a manganese supplement because this name appears on the bag.

Sources

What we read

Checked September 29, 2026.

  1. 1 Effect of Bioplex organic trace minerals on copper, manganese, and zinc status of the canine Journal of Animal Science meeting abstracts, 2004 // Journal
  2. 2 AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles AAFCO, 2013 // Regulator
  3. 3 KeyShure Manganese Proteinate 15% (Balchem) - Equine Nutrition Analysis Mad Barn Feed Bank, n.d. // Database
  4. 4 Influence of the Chelation Process on the Stability of Organic Trace Mineral Supplements Used in Animal Nutrition Animals, 2021 // Journal
  5. 5 Effects of Inorganic and Organic Manganese Supplementation on Growth Performance, Tibia Development, and Oxidative Stress in Broiler Chickens Biological Trace Element Research, 2022 // Journal
  6. 6 Acute enteral manganese intoxication with hepatic failure due to ingestion of a joint supplement overdose Journal of Veterinary Diagnostic Investigation, 2014 // Journal
  7. 7 Buffermin Manganese Proteinate JH Biotech, n.d. // Industry
  8. 8 Manganese for Dogs: The Foreman That Builds Strong Joints and Bones VitaDog, 2026 // Industry
  9. 9 Reading Labels AAFCO, n.d. // Regulator
An ingredient on its own tells you very little. What matters is how much of it there is and where it sits in the list. That is why we weigh the top five rather than reacting to any single name further down. Back to the wiki

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